


Of Heart Valves and Mugs of Tea

by glittercat



Category: Jethro Tull (Band)
Genre: Biting, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Hand Jobs, M/M, Sickfic, kinda??, who even knows honestly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-16
Updated: 2017-05-16
Packaged: 2018-11-01 10:14:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10919736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glittercat/pseuds/glittercat
Summary: Barrie and John spend a quiet winter's night together. Barrie does what he can to help John feel better. Takes place late '78.





	Of Heart Valves and Mugs of Tea

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote Jethro Tull smut bc I'm a mess...... enjoy
> 
> Honestly I feel like this is such a niche fic but whatever it was fun to write and I'm happy with it uwu

_December 3rd, 1978_

It’s been a mild winter so far, but these things don’t last forever. There’s a chill in the air that seems to cut through the walls of even the best-insulated buildings on the street, and snow’s beginning to cover the icy roads. Clouds are still visible in the inky sky. The only source of light outside is the golden glow of a few streetlamps. It’s the type of weather that feels cozy from the inside, and downright hellish from the outside.

Barrie stands in the kitchen, observing the wintry scene through the window. Just a few weeks ago, he had been spending his evenings on stage, performing with the rest of the band- well, the rest of the band minus one. Standing in the little flat and watching snow fall is a bit calmer than what he's gotten used to. A kettle of water comes to a boil on the counter behind him- his cue to get the tea ready.

"Are you sure you don’t want anything?" he calls towards the bedroom. ‘I’m just pouring myself some tea right now.’

"Nah. I’m okay, thank you."

"Alright." Barrie heads to the bedroom, mug of tea in hand.

He gets a sleepy smile from his bandmate as he enters the room. John has spent the better part of the evening resting in bed- he's still not feeling 100% yet. Despite his unkempt hair and tired eyes, Barrie still thinks he looks lovely.

He takes a sip from the mug and sets it down on the bedside table. The warm drink is much needed on such a chilly night. He climbs onto the bed and sits cross-legged beside his bandmate.

"So how are you feeling right now?" Lately, Barrie’s been making an effort to check up on John as much as he possibly can.

"I think you've asked me that about once every hour for the past week," John replies. "But I'm okay."

"That's good to hear." Barrie leans down to give his bandmate a kiss on the forehead. "Just let me know if you need anything, ‘kay?"

"Yeah. I will. So, what I need right now-" John wraps his arms around Barrie’s waist, and pulls him closer, "-is more of your kisses."

"Ah. Okay." Barrie starts at John’s cheekbone, moving down to his jawline, and then onto the soft skin of his neck. He ends off with a gentle kiss on his bandmate’s lips that quickly turns into something much more passionate.

John pulls away after a moment. "Here, why don't you get under the covers? It's cozier anyways." He moves the blankets back to make a space for Barrie. "And while you're at it- take those shorts off. It's December, why are you still wearing those?"

"They're comfy. Plus, I think I’ve just gotten used to wearing them all the time."

"Still. Take them off." John hooks his thumbs under the waistband of Barrie’s shorts and slowly slips them off, tossing them to the floor. "That's better." Barrie hums in agreement and climbs under the covers.

"Now this is hardly fair. You made me take the shorts off but you're still fully dressed!"

“Oh, I suppose you’re right. What do you think needs to come off?" John asks with a teasing smile.

"I think we can do away with this," Barrie replies, tugging at John’s too-big t-shirt. John slips the shirt off and tosses it to the end of the bed.

With one less layer between them, Barrie leans in for another kiss. This one is slow and intense- all soft bites and hushed sighs and hands moving everywhere. John slips his hands under Barrie’s sweater, pushing the garment up. Barrie pulls away from the kiss and lifts his arms a little to allow John to slip it off of him. The sweater is is discarded to the end of the bed. John shifts his position so that he's now lying under Barrie, who settles comfortably between John’s pajama-clad legs.

Barrie leans down to kiss John again. He places one hand on the pillow and rests the other lightly on John’s left shoulder. John winces a little at the touch, almost as if a slight shock has been sent through him.

Barrie pulls away quickly. "Are you okay? Did that hurt? Sorry, I wasn't even thinking, I don't know why I…"

John interrupts him. "No, no, it didn't hurt. The… pressure on there just felt a bit weird. I wasn't expecting it, I guess. But you didn't hurt me. Don't even worry about it."

"Alright. You're sure you're okay? Just- let me know if anything I'm doing does hurt, or if it's uncomfortable, or anything like that."

"Oh, c’mon. Do you actually think you're gonna hurt me?" John chuckles softly. "I mean, really."

"I know. I’m just… making sure.  You just seem so fragile right now."

"I’m not that fragile."

"You seem like you are." Barrie looks down into John's eyes. From this angle- and with the only light in the room coming from the little lamp beside the bed- John looks almost heartbreakingly beautiful. Dark wavy hair spread across the pillow, bruise-like dark circles under his eyes, fading scar marking the left side of his chest, soft smile lingering on his lips- he looks damn near angelic just lying on the bed like that. "And I don't want to hurt you. I’ll be more careful now."

"I told you- you're not gonna hurt me. If it helps, just don't put too much pressure here-" John gestures up to his left shoulder and part of his chest- "and, uh, maybe avoid doing anything that gets my heart rate going too quick."

Barrie laughs softly. "Okay. I'll remember that." He moves so that he's lying next to John rather than on top of him. He curls one arm around John’s side, holding him close, and leans in for a kiss. The kiss turns out to be more of a peck, really; a very soft, gentle thing. Barrie is as careful as he can possibly be- trying not to let the slow-burning heat of the moment get the better of him.

After a minute or two of almost-too-gentle kissing, John pulls away. "You're being so cautious now! You _really_ don't have to be this careful. Seriously."

"Yeah, yeah, I know I don’t. It’s kinda hard not to, though."

"Well then. You could try to mark me up a little, at least," John says with a cheeky smile. "I think you can still do that without being too rough."

"Mm, yeah... I suppose that's true." Barrie presses his lips to John’s neck and scatters a few light kisses around the area. He lingers on a spot under John’s ear and bites down just hard enough to leave a mark, sucking on the skin for a moment before pulling away.

"Ah, that feels nice. Keep going."

And Barrie does. He leaves one more small bite on John’s neck and then moves down. On his way he leaves a line of soft little kisses down John’s chest, applying only the lightest pressure. He makes his way over to the softest part of John’s stomach and gets to work, nibbling softly in one area, scratching with his nails in another, and leaving a few carefully placed bites all around. John’s hands find their way into Barrie’s hair, tangling up a little, as if he’s trying to keep Barrie exactly where he is. Barrie can’t help but smile.

Continuing on, Barrie runs a hand over John’s side and onto his hip, eventually moving far enough over to feel him getting hard through his pajama pants. He leans down and gives John a trail of small, soft bites under his rib cage.

The look on John’s face is one of pure, almost aching desire. Every once in a while he’ll sigh softly, or give Barrie some sort of direction- often along the lines of _yeah that feels nice_ or _go a little lower down_ or _bite harder, I want the marks to be visible in the morning._

John’s always had a thing for being marked up. He's told Barrie before that he likes being able to look at the scratches and bites afterwards and think of them as reminders of the moment, reminders of the profound bond that they share, reminders of how connected they are in every way. To him they’re a symbol of vulnerability, but also of the intensity of their love. (And, as John’s said on more than one occasion, they also feel really damn good.)

Barrie shifts his position so that he can tug down John’s pants a bit, just enough to reach a little more of John’s hip; just enough to place a few gentle kisses along the exposed skin. Upon deciding that he's done enough, Barrie leaves one last bite right above John's hipbone before pulling away. He props himself up one one elbow to observe his work.  The pair of bites on John's neck are beginning to turn a deep, speckled red, making everything else look pale in contrast. A few other marks are starting to darken in color as well- the one on his hip and a some of the ones scattered across his ribs look a little redder now than they did a few minutes ago.

Seeing him all covered in bites and scratches, and somehow still looking completely at peace, stirs up some bizarre nameless feeling in Barrie’s chest. It's a mixture of protectiveness and burning desire and _holy hell how are you real and how did I get so lucky?_

"You look so damn _beautiful_ like that."

"Aww, do I now?" John smiles up at Barrie, half kidding and half sincere.

"Yeah. Really, you do. That's a good look for you." From the position he's in, Barrie has to lean over to kiss John, but it's well worth it.

John rests his hands lightly on Barrie's shoulders at first, and then moves to wrap them around Barrie's neck, pulling him into a tender embrace. Without breaking away from the kiss, Barrie moves his hand down to caress John’s side, earning a soft sigh in response.

Eventually his hand finds its way down to the waistband of John's pajamas. After a moment of fiddling around with the fabric, Barrie slips a hand into John’s pajama pants, running one finger over the tip of his cock and then sliding it down the rest of the length. John’s closed his eyes now, just enjoying the feel of Barrie's fingers against his skin, taking everything in, concentrating only on Barrie’s slow, even strokes.

After only a moment of light touches, Barrie pulls his hand away. John moans a little in complaint, already missing Barrie’s fingers around his dick.

“Oh, be quiet,” Barrie says jokingly.

“Barrie, that’s never gonna happen, and you _know_ it.”

Barrie laughs as he grabs the bottle of lotion from the bedside table and pours a little onto one hand. He props himself up on his elbow again, using his other hand to carefully slip John’s pajama pants down a little bit further, just enough to allow for easier access.  He picks up right where he left off, stroking gently, eventually tightening his grip a little in response to John practically begging for more. John thrusts his hips up ever so slightly, and Barrie’s strokes get faster; almost more aggressive; but still tender and careful somehow.

“Still doing okay there?” Barrie asks, his voice low.

“Yes, ohhh, that's nice,” John sighs. “Ah, I’m so close, just a little more… just keep going th- _oh!_ "

He finishes with a gasp, squeezing his eyes shut and bucking his hips up once more. Barrie slows his movements, eventually pulling his hand away. He turns to look at John, who now looks completely blissed-out; completely at peace with the world; just basking in the afterglow. "How do you feel right now?"

"Um, good. Definitely better than I did, like, an hour ago," John replies with a hint of a smile in his voice.

"Good." Barrie presses a kiss onto John’s shoulder.

"Yeah."

They lie in silence for only a moment before John lets out a yawn and rubs at his eyes.

"You sleepy?"

"Mmm. Yeah. And you've got me feeling so relaxed now, too."

Barrie laughs. "Well, I guess that’s not a bad thing. Do you wanna rest now?"

"Hmm…. yeeeah. I think so," John sighs, already almost half-asleep.

"Do you wanna, er, get cleaned up first?"

"Oh. Yeah.” John looks down, just now realizing what a mess he’s made of himself. “That's probably a good idea."

Barrie chuckles and leans over to grab the soft grey t-shirt that John had been wearing earlier. "Okay if I use this?"

"Sure. Go for it."

Moving slowly and cautiously, Barrie runs the shirt over John’s chest and stomach, mopping up the milky white cum from his bare skin. John closes his eyes again, smiling softly as Barrie cleans him up.

“Okay. There. That's better.” Barrie tosses the shirt back to the end of the bed and reaches over to shut off the light on the bedside table. In the darkness, everything seems to be slightly intensified- the soft sounds of wind whistling outside, the cold air against his skin, and in contrast, the warmth radiating from his bandmate lying beside him. Snuggling back up under the blankets, Barrie rolls over to face John. Even in the darkness, they find each other easily enough, and John leans in for a kiss.

“‘night, Barrie. Sleep well,” he whispers as he pulls away.

“Goodnight. Love you.”

“Love you too.” John snuggles into Barrie’s chest, and Barrie wraps an arm around him, stroking his hair softly until they both drift off to sleep.

Barrie wakes once during the night. It's still pitch dark outside. He's warm, but not uncomfortably so. John is still cuddled up to his side, still sleeping peacefully, with one arm draped over Barrie's stomach.

As challenging as the past few months have been- with all the stress of being on tour without John, to  giving him updates on the band through phone calls and letters, to visiting him in the hospital when he was at his sickest- moments like these remind Barrie that it’s all worth it. He feels as if he could lie here forever, just snuggled up with his bandmate in the early hours of the morning. It’s been a difficult few months for both of them, but Barrie is sure they’ll get through it, as long as they have each other.

After all, these things don’t last forever.


End file.
